Small Sun Tach/Dwell Tester

[goodfellow]

This is a nicely preserved model Tach/Dwell-Tester (TDT-11) It had a battery leak from the "D" cell which powers the dwell and resistance side of the unit, while the 266 9V battery powers the RPM side.

The original 9V is still in there and to my surprise it's not leaked and still retains a 4-7v charge -- talk about longevity!

Here are the pics -- a few tests showed that the dwell adjustment and caibration pot was weak and needs to replaced. A quick search on on the internet found both a new 9V Eveready battery and a suitable potentiometer.

I'll wait for the parts to arrive before "diggin" in.

Still has a charge in the battery -- amazing!!!

The old "D" cell leaked and did a number on the holder and the support brackets -- cleaned up good with a wire brush

The corrosion was easily removed with a wire brush, but the discoloration remains -- what the heck!

Cleaned up the paint and leads with some mild solvent and it looks very nice -- almost ready for action

 

[Eric Va]

Good looking tester. You seem like the Sun expert here. I picked up this Tach/Dwell meter two weeks ago. It's my first piece of Sun equipment. Do you know when it was made? Is there a manual for these? I see others on Ebay but not one for this.

 

[goodfellow]

Late 40's, early 50's on those testers. They are true works of art. You can easily replace the leads with new wires and clips. Most of the time that's all that is required.

Nice piece of equipment!!! Good find --

Manuals are hard to find -- look on e-bay first. If that doesn't produce results, contact Bob Masters at ....

[email protected]

He has many of the old manuals in his library, but it will cost a few dollars.

 

[Elroy]

Seeing that Simpson 260 helped Elroy recall his. A few shots for your enjoyment:

 

[goodfellow]

Nice Elroy -- Simpson is top notch. Besides it looks "cool". The quality aspect of these testers is written right on the face of the meter -- "20,000 ohms/volt". That is the mark of a quality VOM. Most "cheaper" units are rated at "1000 ohms/volt" --

It's definitely a keeper -- thanks for sharing!

 

[Garrett Fell]

Hi....

I just picked up my first sun tach/dwell tester and it looks very similar to the 50's one in the picture in a previous post, except the handle is more of a sun "starburst" rather than a piece of sheet metal.

I opened it up and the meters say they were made in 1947. Apparently tt's had the badge removed from the front of it, so I don't know the model. Does anyone know where I can get any information on this? It doesn't seem to work, and I'd like to get it working again.

 

[Elroy]

Nice Elroy -- Simpson is top notch. Besides it looks "cool". The quality aspect of these testers is written right on the face of the meter -- "20,000 ohms/volt". That is the mark of a quality VOM. Most "cheaper" units are rated at "1000 ohms/volt" --

It's definitely a keeper -- thanks for sharing!

Elroy said if you would be interested in the Simpson to let me know.

 

[e-tek]

Great thread!! Glad to see GF back in action here!

 

[e-tek]

Here's my Snap On Dwell Meter...not quite as "Sun-riffic" as those above, but it was rescued from a future of laying in the dump next to diapers and decaying food...

 

[Old Donn]

Really hit the memory banks with the 260, Elroy. Used one every day when the phone company still used wire spring relays & vacuum tubes.